Unusual Forms of Symmetry
by TheLateNightStoryteller
Summary: A multi-chaptered story about family and loyalty. Lily and Hermione are witches but their sisters, Petunia and Etta (OC), are not. This has drastically different effects on the two sets of sisters as Etta and Hermione manage to stay close, (despite living in very different worlds) while Petunia and Lily break apart. All characters belong to the totally awesome J.K. Rowling.
1. Pre-Hogwarts

**Unusual Forms of Symmetry **

**Pre-Hogwarts**

**December 1989**

A little girl with bushy brown hair fidgeted impatiently in her car seat as she watched the snowflakes fall onto her window. She had grown bored with watching them melt and slide down the glass.  
"How many more minutes mum?" she called to the woman driving the car.  
"Only thirty four darling," the woman, who was her mother, replied patiently over the squeak of the windshield wipers.  
"Stop kicking the back of my seat Etta," the man in the front passenger's seat added good-naturedly to his fidgety five year old  
"But Mum, you can't know exactly how long it will take." the girl beside Etta, who had the same brown eyes and bushy brown hair, contested.  
"It could be _longer_?!" Etta exclaimed because thirty four minutes already sound much too long for her.  
"Why don't we put on a tape?" their father suggested.  
"Oh but Dad!" protested the older girl, who was reading a large science textbook, "I wanted to finish the chapter on pulleys and gears first! There is a test two weeks after the winter break!"  
"My busy little worker bee," her father chuckled affectionately. "You can take a break can't you dear?"  
"Sing with us Hermione!" Etta pleaded.  
When her sister hesitated she began chanting, "Sing with us, Sing with us!"  
Their parents soon joined in, "Sing with us! Sing with us!"  
"Alright, if you all insist!" Hermione laughed, stuffing her text book into her backpack.  
Etta let out a cheer as their father popped the tape into the player. They all began to sing along to the familiar tunes that flowed into the car and Etta and Hermione danced in their seats.  
Halfway through the second song their father began to make up lyrics.  
"Poor old Eddie had far too much earwax!" he sang  
"So he stuck some of it in his bum!" Etta added.  
"Etta really!" Hermione half scolded, half giggled.  
The four of them took turns making up lyrics after that and by the time they had finished the tape Hermione and Etta were laughing so hard they could barely sing their parts.

**December 1967**

It was a cold, clear evening in Cokeworth England. Petunia Evans skated back towards her sister who had fallen once more onto the ice. **  
**"That was a good try Lily." she said encouragingly, stopping next to her.  
"You just have to say that because you're my sister." Lily pouted, "It really wasn't. I'm won't ever be able to skate."  
"Oh really?" Petunia asked, pulling Lily to her feet. "Being your sister means I have to lie? Well then silly Lily you certainly do have very nice purple hair and I absolutely love how much taller than me you are!"  
Lily, who had vivid orange hair and was a head shorter than Petunia, giggled, "You forgot about my bat-wing shaped ears!" she added.  
"How could I have missed them!" Petunia exclaimed, tugging at the air around her sisters head "They're so _big _and furry! Maybe you can use them to help you balance."  
Lily pretended to look at her bat-shaped ears. "I can try." she agreed.  
She held onto Petunia's hand and they skated together across the rink.  
"I'm going to let go now ok?" Petunia said after about a minute.  
Lily gripped more tightly on her sister's hand but her face set into a look of determination.  
"Ok." she said.  
Petunia released her hand and Lily slid forward. She found herself loosing balance almost instantly.  
"Tuney I'm gonna fall!" she shouted.  
"Use your ears!" her sister shouted back and a woman skating on the other side of the rink with her son looked over at them, puzzled.  
Lily pretended she really did have big bat wings on the side of her head and tried to use them to balance herself like a tightrope walker's pole. To her great surprise she found her centre and was able to glide forward without crashing back down onto the ice and she suddenly found she was skating. It was like flying, or at least how she pictured flying and she felt exhilarated with the speed of it.  
"I'm doing it!" she shouted excitedly, "Tuney look!"  
"Excellent!" Petunia exclaimed, skating up beside her.  
But Petunia skating up to her had surprised her and Lily lost her balance. She fell back onto the ice with a loud thud.  
"Oh no! Are you alright?" asked Petunia, stopping beside her.  
"I'm fine," Lily answered as her sister helped her up again. "Can we try again?"  
"Ten more minutes," said Petunia, checking her wrist-watch.  
But they stayed for almost twenty; until Lily could skate all around the rink without falling. On the last lap they raced and Petunia let Lily win, though she denied it all the way home. **  
**

**Fun background about the story**: I got the idea for giving Hermione a younger sister from reading that J.K. Rowling was originally going to write her one but did not end up having enough time to.

I took the name Etta from a character in a television show called _Fringe_ named Henrietta (Etta) Bishop. [Fringe spoilers ahead]  
Henrietta Bishop is named after her half brother, Henry Dunham, who ceased to exist when their father, Peter Bishop, was erased from existence. Peter was eventually brought back by the memories of the people who loved him (and later had a daughter, Henrietta) but his son Henry was not.  
I thought it was fitting to name my version of Hermione's sister who had been, in a way, 'erased from existence' after her.

Henry Dunham was actually named after the Taxi driver, Henry Higgins who helped deliver him in a store. So Etta Granger is named after a character, who is named after her brother, who is named after the man who helped deliver him.


	2. Hogwarts Year 1

**Hogwarts Year 1  
December 1991**

"Do some magic Hermione! _Please! _Just a bit!" Begged Etta, hopping around her sister in the living room as they all got off their coats and shook the snow from their hair.  
"Etta!" Hermione sighed, placing her boots neatly in the closet, "you know I'm not allowed."  
"But you could before!" Etta protested, placing her boots somewhat less neatly beside them. "Remember when you had that math test to study for and you made all your text books fly around your room? That was so cool! And now I bet you've learned some really awesome stuff!" she paused, "Can you make _me _fly around the room."  
"_I_ can make you fly around the room!" said their father, lifting her up and spinning her around, making her scream in delight. "Let your sister be, she just got home."  
"Ok fine." Etta agreed as her father sat down on their old brown easy-chair and she settled onto his lap.  
"How is school dear?" their mother asked Hermione, sitting down next to her on their large, blue-grey sofa. "you said in your letters you've already made friends."  
" Ron and Harry," Hermione smiled. "Those two are always getting into trouble! They're lucky they have my good influence. But they are good friends," she added, "they saved me from a mountain troll on Halloween."  
"A troll?" asked her father, looking a bit startled, "are they very dangerous?"  
"I bet they're 12 feet tall and super strong!" Etta guessed, stretching her little arms as wide as they'd go "and Hermione and her friends fought them off with their magic!"  
"Well...ummm...no." Hermione said slowly, "they're only four feet tall and they're more annoying than scary. It was trying to take my sweets."  
"Etta and her imagination," their father laughed but both him and their mother looked relieved.  
Hermione laughed nervously. "Yes Etta, you're so silly."

After dinner Hermione and Etta were alone playing snakes and ladders in the living room. Their parents were in the kitchen cleaning the dishes. Hermione had offered to help but her parents had shooed her away to spend time with her sister.  
Etta was lying on her stomach beside the sofa and Hermione sat cross-legged across the board from her. Etta rolled the dice but didn't move her piece. Instead she looked towards Hermione and said matter-of-factly "I know the troll wasn't really only four feet tall."  
"Why would you say that?" Hermione whispered, looking nervously towards the kitchen.  
"Because you're no good at lying, but Mum and Dad think you're such a good girl they believe you anyway." she replied simply.  
"I am a good girl." Hermione said guiltily. This was the first time she had ever lied to her parents.  
"I know," said Etta moving her piece and sliding it down a snake while she made a whooshing sound_. _  
Hermione rolled the dice and moved her piece forward two spaces so it was three ahead of Etta's.  
"You were actually right," she whispered suddenly, surprising herself, "the troll was 12 feet tall _and _it was very strong."  
Etta's eyes widened, "Wow Hermione! And you and your friends fought it off by yourselves! I bet you guys are the best witches in the whole school."  
Hermione blushed, "I am pretty good in class, but it was Harry and Ron who knocked out the troll. Also boys are wizards Etta."  
"But I bet you helped." Etta said.  
"I did help Ron a bit with a spell," she admitted.  
Etta beamed at her. "Why didn't you tell Mum and Dad?" she whispered. "I bet they'd be really impressed!"  
"Etta think a bit will you?" Hermione whispered back, "What would Mum and Dad say if you told them you had to fight a bear on your way home from school?"  
This seemed to puzzle the younger girl. She sat up and put her chin on her hands, frowning.  
"Well, I'm sure they'd be really impressed." she began slowly, "but..."  
"But they would be very worried about you wouldn't they?" Hermione finished. "They might not even let you walk home from school anymore. They may not think it's safe anymore."  
Etta looked confused. "But Hermione, you're safe at Hogwarts aren't you? Mr. Dumbledore said Hogwarts was the safest place in all of Brittan for young witches."  
"It is," Hermione assured her. "but it's just... this year..." she stopped and looked at Etta seriously. "You have to promise not to tell Mum or Dad any of this. I'm safe, I really am, but they won't understand."  
"Like that time I _had_ to practiced my Judo and I broke our new lamp and Dad said I was grounded for a week, even though it wasn't my fault?" Etta asked.  
Hermione was going to contradict her, but decide to avoid an argument. "A bit like that, yes." she said.  
"Parents are so impossible sometimes." Etta sighed.  
Hermione laughed. "So do you promise not to say anything?" she asked.  
"Pinky swear." said Etta, holding out her pinky.  
Hermione wrapped her own around it.  
"So why is this year different?" Etta asked excitedly, letting go.  
Hermione looked cautiously back towards the kitchen, but the clang of dishes told her that her parents were not finished cleaning up yet.  
"We, that is Harry, Ron and I, aren't sure exactly what is going on yet," she began quietly, "but it has something to do with a trap door guarded by a giant three headed dog..."  
Throughout the holidays Hermione told her sister, in a hushed voice while their parents were not listening, all about the exciting events that had occurred at her new school. Etta listened in fascination interjecting with questions and her own ideas as to what was going on, which were often a bit fantastical even for a magical school.  
"Maybe it _is _Nicolas Flamel they're hiding down there," she suggested once. "Maybe he knows some super powerful magic that all the bad guys want so they're hiding him. Or maybehe turned _himself_ into super-powerful-magic-that-can-do-anything-even-bring-back-dead-people." she said as a single word.  
"But if he was that powerful he'd be able to protect himself," Hermione pointed out.  
Etta didn't really have a lot of good suggestions but it was nice to have someone in her family she could talk openly with and she had missed her sister's crazy ideas.

At the end of the holidays, right before they drove to the station, Hermione took Etta aside.  
"Remember, you can't say anything to Mum or Dad about the extra stuff I told you about." she reminded her.  
"I won't!" Etta promised covering her mouth with her hands.  
Hermione smiled. "Good." she said, kissing her on top of the head. "And I promise to write to you while I'm gone but don't show the letters to Mum and Dad. I may write some more about... you know. Hide them in my room, where I showed you."  
Etta nodded seriously.  
"Girls!" Their father called from downstairs, "time to get your coats on."  
Etta followed her sister down the stairs and the family drove together to see Hermione off to Hogwarts for the rest of the year. It wasn't until Etta got home that she realized how much she was going to miss her.

**December, 1971**

Petunia watched from her frost laden window as her younger sister emerged from the car and followed their parents to door. She glared down at them, her anger still fresh from an argument with her mother.

"You will come with us to get your sister at the station!" her mother had shouted at her after she had informed her parents crossly she would be remaining home.  
"No I will not." she had snapped back, sitting down on the sofa and folding her arms stubbornly. "Do you think I want to go to that station full of _freaks_ to go pick up my weirdo sister and watch her say goodbye to her greasy, ill-mannered freak for a friend?"  
Her mother closed her eyes and Petunia could tell she was furious.  
_'Let her be angry,' _she thought coldly, _'it isn't my fault they are too blind to realize their daughter is a freak show."  
_"You will _never_ talk about your sister that way again." she warned, her voice unnervingly quiet.  
"Of course," Petunia spat, "who could say a word against dear, precious, perfect Lily? You're so proud of her! She's your favourite isn't she?"  
"We are proud of _both_ of you Petunia," her mother replied a bit more softly.  
"Proud?" Petunia laughed bitterly, "What have I ever done that you have been as proud of as you are of Lily for being a... _an unnatural little weirdo!_"  
"I told you not-" her mother began, her voice once again filled with anger.  
"I'll say what I like!" Petunia shouted back, "and I am not coming with you."  
And at that she ran up the stairs into her room and slammed the door so hard the hallway shook.

Petunia heard her family come in but did not leave her room. Instead she went over to her desk and began working on her homework, but she didn't get much done. She had read the same paragraph three times when she heard a knock at her door.  
"Tuney?" Lily called uncertainly. "I'm home for the holidays."  
When Petunia did not answer she added "Did you get my letters? I didn't get any back from you. Was it because you couldn't work out the owls?"  
Annoyed, Petunia opened the door. Lily stood apprehensively behind it, her eyes were bright and her lip quivered as if she were about to cry.  
"Do you want to come skating with me?" she squeaked and a tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly and looked at her feet.  
Petunia looked at her sister's miserable face and felt an uncomfortable prickle of guilt. "Alright," she replied, not meeting her eyes. "As long as we don't have to talk about that awful school."  
She saw Lily's eyes flare but the other girl nodded, "If that's what you want."  
The girls went downstairs, retrieved their skates from the hall closet and began to put on their coats.  
"Where are you two off to?" their mother asked looking taken aback. She and their father had been talking in the living room over a cup of tea when they came down.  
"To the rink," Lily told them brightly.  
Their parents exchanged surprised looks but said nothing.

Petunia and Lily were quiet for the first bit of the walk. It was chilly but not too cold. A good day for skating Petunia thought.  
"So what have I missed?" asked Lily breaking the silence. "Does Mrs. Green still have all those cats?"  
"She has a dog too now," Petunia informed her, rolling her eyes. "It's such a yappy little thing! What was its name? Scraggly? Scruffy?" She squinted, trying to remember.  
"Scruffly?" Lily suggested grinning.  
Petunia smile back at her, "Maybe it was Scraffy?"  
"Scratty sounds better." Lily giggled and Petunia found herself laughing with her.  
"Yes, it was definitely Scratty." Petunia joked.  
The chuckled together for a minute.  
"Lily..." Petunia began, suddenly serious but she trailed off, unsure exactly what she wanted to say.  
"I missed you Tuney," Lily said after a few seconds.  
"I missed you too silly Lily," She replied giving her sister a one armed hug as they walked down the street. She felt as if something inside her had uncoiled slightly.  
They used up the rest of the walk joking and laughing together. When they got to the rink it was almost empty so they spent the afternoon practicing spins and skating backwards and not talking about magic or Hogwarts or that Lily was a witch and Petunia was not. For that whole, happy afternoon it didn't matter to either of them. For a brief moment things were the way they had been before.

**Fun Background: **Mrs. Green's dog's name is Scruffles.

Etta's school went to see Hansel and Gretel that year. Near the end, when they put the witch in the oven, Etta shouted "murders!", burst into tears and had to be sent home.


	3. Trains and Aeroplanes

**Summer, 1993**

Etta fastened her seatbelt, pulling the end to make sure it held her securely to her seat.  
"You don't need to do that yet darling," her mother told as she pushed their carry-on into an overhead cabinet on the other side of the aisle.  
"I'm just want to be sure I'm ready when we take off." she replied, picking nervously at a loose piece of skin around her fingernail.  
Her mother gave her a knowing look as she sat down beside her father across the aisle. "It's alright to be nervous darling," she assured her. "but nothing is going to happen."  
"Mum's right Etta," Hermione added beside her, in the seat by the window, "flying is actually safer than driving."  
"Really?" Etta asked, feeling her apprehension lighten a bit.  
"Its right here in this book," she informed her, pulling out a large book with a photograph of a jet on it from the bag she had stowed under the seat in front of her. "I was a bit nervous too," she admitted, "so I went to the library."  
Etta grinned and her father chuckled, "Of course you did." they said together.  
"Well it was very informative," she went on, opening the book and holding it out so that Etta could see. "It says here that safety is a top priority for all major airlines as a poor record is a serious threat to business. Significant investment of time and money is put into airline safety."

She went on for several minutes about the history of aviation and the scarcity of aeroplane accidents. Their parents listened intently, looking very impressed. On the other hand Etta, though reassured, began to grow bored and was almost relieved when the pilot announced it was time to stow their things for take-off.

The plane began to move, aligning itself with the runway. She once more grew nervous and felt her insides squirm. The engine began to make a lot of noise and she turned to Hermione, her eyes wide.  
"Its suppose to do that," Hermione told her quietly, taking her hand, "they're turning on the engines."  
The plane began to move forward, picking up speed so that Etta was reminded of a rollercoaster she'd ridden at the fair last summer. Closing her eyes she squeezed her sister's hand tighter. She felt the wheels leave the ground and her stomach dropped. The plane tilted so far backwards, she was sure it would flip over.  
"It's alright," Hermione said quietly beside her, "this is normal. It's actually very interesting, everything looks so small. Do you want to look out the window?"  
Etta forced her eyes shut more firmly and shook her head.  
"Do you want me to tell you what I see?" Hermione asked.  
Etta hesitated then nodded slowly.  
"Well everything is getting really small," she began, "The cars look like toys. You can see all the streets too. It looks like a giant map. There sure are a lot of buildings. We're going through the clouds now."  
"What?" Etta exclaimed opening her eyes in surprise.  
Looking out the window and saw a field of bright, fluffy white just bellow them. Further away it billowed into puffy cloud hills.  
"Wow," she breathed.  
The plane leveled out and she felt her stomach unknot. She let go of Hermione's hand and leaned across to get a better look.  
"It's like shiny mashed potatoes!" she exclaimed, "Mum, Dad, are you seeing this too!"  
"Really Etta? Shiny mashed potatoes?" Hermione said shaking her head.  
But their parents were laughing.  
"Yes we see it," their mother said, looking fondly at her daughters. "I never thought of them like that before."  
The fasten seatbelt light went out and the captain informed them they were free to move about the cabin. Their mother got a deck of cards of and they played crazy eights. Etta wasn't scared anymore and she enjoyed the plane ride. It was great to have Hermione back with them. Even with all the letters it was a bit sad having her gone the whole school year.

A couple hours later the fasten seatbelt signs lit up again and the captain announced their decent. The sun had set and the sky above the clouds glittered with white-blue stars which disappeared as the plane descended through the clouds. The city, now revealed below them, shone with thousands of lights. It was almost as beautiful as the sky.

"It looks like the stars are on the ground now!" Etta said excitedly beside Hermione.  
"It does," she agreed. "Oh look! There's the airport."  
Hermione suddenly realized the ground was coming up very fast and felt a prickle of unease.  
"We're landing a bit quickly aren't we?" she worried.  
"I think its suppose to be like that," Etta told her.  
"Yes, you're probably right Etta. I'm sure it is," she agreed but she flinched as turbulence shook the plane.  
She felt Etta grab her hand, "Its less scary if you close your eyes," she whispered.  
Hermione smiled at her sister feeling a bit embarrassed. They hit another bout of turbulence and she shut her eyes trying to remember all the facts she had read about aeroplanes.  
"I can't wait to try out my French," she heard Etta say beside her. "How do you say nice to meet you again?"  
"Enchanté." she told her.  
"Enchanté France, Je suis Etta." Etta practiced.  
"No, it's Je m'appelle," she corrected, her eyes still closed. "It means I am called."  
"Oh ok." Etta said, "Sorry France, Je _m'appelle _Etta."  
Hermione laughed and to her surprise she felt the plane touch down onto the runway. It felt very fast at first but it quickly lost speed and stopped. Relieved she opened her eyes.

"Madames et Monsieurs, Bienvenue en France. Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to France" the pilot announced over the speakers.  
Etta took off her seatbelt and stood in front of her seat, bouncing a bit on her toes. Hermione and their parents also removed theirs but remained seated as people flooded the aisles.  
"That was fun!" Etta sang beside her. "It was sort of scary at first though. It's a good thing you were here." she added to Hermione, "so you could tell us all that neat stuff about aeroplanes."  
Hermione chuckled, "It's a good thing I have a brave sister who can do things even when she's afraid of them. I'm proud of you."  
Etta's eyes widened. "Really?"  
"Of course," Hermione told her, "not everyone can do the things they're afraid of."  
"I'm proud of both of you," Their father added and their mother nodded beside him.  
"We have two very brave girls." she said.

The Grangers were very happy at that moment. They had their whole family together and all of the summer before them. Hermione would always remember their trip to France. But not for the attractions or the food or the sights. She would remember teaching her sister French and laughing together when Etta started making up her own words. She would remember the long talks with her mother and the lively conversations with her father. And she would never forget that, no matter how old you are, sometimes you need someone to hold your hand and remind you that you don't have to be afraid.

**Summer, 1973  
** "Top in your class! Sweetheart we are so proud of you!" Mr. Evans said as he lifted his luggage into the overhead compartment.  
Petunia, who had taken a seat next to her mother sniffed. "What is the name of that club you're in Lily?" she asked, a tinge of contempt in her voice. "Was it the _slug _club."  
Their mother shot her a warning look but Lily seemed not to have noticed her tone.  
"Yes, after our teacher Professor Slughorn." She said brightly, taking a seat next to their father. "He says I have a gift for potions."  
Petunia rolled her eyes but held her tongue while her parents were present. What was the point of having a knack for being a weirdo?  
"Now what are potions for again?" Mrs. Evans asked.  
"Oh they're for a lot of things," Lily explained, "some will make you really lucky and some will make you look like someone else. Others..."  
Petunia stopped listening and looked out the window, feeling a prickle of annoyance. Did they _have _to talk about magic. And did it have to be in front of all these people.

The train began to move forward on the tracks and Petunia reflected bitterly that her parents had never shown so much interest in _her_ school work. She got decent grades and worked hard. Somehow her A+ in English wasn't as impressive as Lily's Outstanding in potions.  
After half an hour (which was filled with Lily's _fascinating _stories of her time at Hogwarts) Petunia decided she'd had enough.

"I'm going to go explore the train." she announced, getting up and crawling over her mother.  
"Oh but Petunia, don't you want to spend time with your sister?" her mother protested. "You never see each other anymore."  
_'As if that's my fault.' she thought.  
_"I just need to stretch my legs," she lied, not meeting Lily's eyes. "She's with us all summer."  
"She's sitting right here," Lily said irritably.  
Petunia ignored her. "Can I go?" she asked her parents.  
Her mother sighed, "Yes Petunia. But be back in an hour for lunch."  
"And I expect you to bring a better attitude." her father added.  
Lily said nothing.

Petunia wandered down the train cars until she found an empty seat. Taking it, she resumed staring out the window and watched the trees speed by. It was a beautiful day; sunny with a blue sky that was spattered with fluffy white clouds. She felt a bit better now that her family was out of earshot but couldn't shake her frustration.  
Lately she detested being around them. They droned on and on about Lily and that awful school and her parents were constantly trying to persuade her to write to her sister. And then there were the constant arguments. She barely got along with her father and she _never_ got along with her mother whom she was sure loved Lily more. At least it was almost over. In two more years, Petunia would be graduated from high school and she could leave her terrible family behind.

"Petunia?"  
She looked away from the window and saw Lily standing beside her seat.  
"I thought you were going for a walk." she said, her arms crossed.  
Petunia sniffed before turning back to the window. "Go away Lily." she said.  
Instead, Lily sat next to her.  
"No," she objected, "I am _not _going away until you talk to me."  
Petunia continued to watch the trees, ignoring her.  
"I don't understand why you're so angry all the time." Lily said. "It really upsets Mum and Dad you know. It upsets me too. Why can't things just go back to how they were?"  
"You mean before you left us to become a witch?" said Petunia bitterly, turning indignantly to face her.  
"I was always a witch." Lily told her. "Like you were always a muggle."  
Petunia crossed her arms and glared at her. "I don't care for that term." she warned. "It's what that slimy little brat calls me."  
"Don't talk about him like that," Lily said angrily, "Sev is my friend. And he's a good bit nicer than you."  
Petunia rolled her eyes. "Even you've admitted that he has a nasty streak." she reminded her. "But I guess since he's magic like you, you can forgive him."  
"Is that what this is about?" Lily asked, sounding surprised.  
"No," Petunia said quickly but she'd betrayed herself.  
"It is." Lily said. "That's why you're so angry with me? With Mum and Dad?"  
Petunia was silent.  
"I asked him you know." Lily told her quietly. "I asked him over and over to let you come too. But he kept saying no. It isn't your fault. Mu- Non magical people just can't do magic. But it's alright. You don't need magic Petunia. There are lots of other- "  
"Shut up!" Petunia hissed. "I don't want to go that awful school! I don't want to be magic! I just want a normal life without a _witch _for a sister. You're a freak Lily. But Mum and Dad don't care. They actually love you best because of it! But I don't need them. And I don't need you. I hate all of you! So just _go away._"  
Lily's lip trembled and, for a moment, Petunia thought she would cry. But instead she became stony faced and got up.  
"Fine." she said, her voice quiet but brimming with rage. "I'll go. But I am not a freak. I am Lily Evans and I am proud of who I am; _every _part of it. I hope someday you can say the same for yourself."  
She stalked off, leaving Petunia fuming.  
The two didn't speak to each other for the rest of the train ride. In fact, they did not speak to each other for a very long time after that.

Fun Background:  
Thanks to a helpful suggestion by a reviewer, I am trying out spacing out/putting paragraphs.

Also thank you to those who reviewed this story and any other I have written. It helps me out a lot and it is much appreciated ;).

On the title  
(This is long, feel free to skip it.)  
The title of this story came from a chemistry course I took in which we were introduced to the idea that there are different kinds of symmetry that molecules can possess. Our professor gave us a sheet which listed rare forms of symmetry.

I thought that would be a neat title for a story and almost called this story Rare Forms of Symmetry. However, I decided there wasn`t really anything rare about either families scenario. Witches might not be real but in the fictional world muggle borns are pretty common (I think).

So I went with Unusual Forms of Symmetry instead. The symmetry refers to the similarities between the Granger and the Evans Families (and between the sisters themselves) despite them also being very different.

I liked unusual because I thought it was strange how two families could go through the same situation so differently. I also thought it fit because of Petunia`s eventual disdain for anything unusual (which I imagined she didn`t start out with).


	4. Friends for Dinner

**Friends For Dinner**

Summer, 1994

It was a pleasant summer evening and the members of the Granger family were sitting in their living room. Mr. Granger's cabbage rolls baked in the kitchen and the smell wafted into the room.  
Green flames erupted in the fireplace and a man with bright orange hair appeared He stepped out and was followed by three other eruptions which produced two boys and a woman.

Unsurprised, Mr. and Mrs. Granger rose to greet their guests.  
"Welcome!" Mrs. Granger greeted, holding out her hand and shaking each of their guests hands in turn.  
Mr. Granger mimicked his wife and added pleasantly, "Dinner is in the oven, I hope you like cabbage rolls! Please make yourselves comfortable."  
The boy with ginger hair made a face at the words _cabbage rolls_.  
Neither Mr. or Mrs Granger noticed this exchange. They were preoccupied, happily chatting with the woman about the recent renovations to their fireplace while the younger daughter showed the man their telephone.

The older daughter, however, gave the face-making boy a sharp look before greeting him.  
"At least _try _them Ron," she whispered as she hugged him.  
"Ya, ya," he whispered back returning her hug.  
She tisked impatiently and turned to hug the black haired boy.  
"Good summer Hermione?" he asked as he hugged her back.  
"So far," she told him, "you?"  
"I've been with the Dursleys." he said flatly.  
Hermione understood this as a no.

"I hope you aren't making a call Etta," Mr. Granger warned, glancing at his younger daughter from the fireplace.  
"Er, no... of course not Dad! I was just showing Mr. Weasley how to dial a number." Etta replied quickly putting down the receiver and mouthing 'sorry' to Mr. Weasely.

While Mr. Weasley chuckled and went to join his wife by the fireplace, Etta bounced over to the other children.  
"Are you Harry?" she asked the dark haired boy, her eyes wide.  
He smiled and nodded, "Harry Potter, nice to meet you."  
"Nice to meet you too! I'm Henrietta Joan Granger," she said, shaking his hand, "but no one calls me that. It's usually just Etta."  
She turned to Ron, "If he's Harry than you _have_ to be Ron right?" she enquired.  
Ron laughed and shook her hand, "I have to be?" she looked confused for a moment and he added swiftly, "you're right, I'm Ron Weasley."  
"Cool!" Etta exclaimed. "Hermione told me _all _about you two! You guys have such awesome adventures!" she lowered her voice, "but I know you can't talk about most of it in front of adults."  
"Maybe you can have some adventures of your own when you come to Hogwarts," Ron said, eyeing his parents as they conversed with the Grangers.  
"I'm not going to Hogwarts," Etta corrected him, "I'm a muggle."  
Harry and Ron glanced awkwardly at each other.  
Etta misinterpreted their unease. "But I like witches," she informed them, "and wizards, even though you two and your dad are the only ones I've met. Your dad is really nice." She added, "He said our phone was fantastic. And I'm sure you have a really excellent school. It's just not for me, you know?"  
"Of course, we understand." Harry said, feeling relieved.  
"And we like muggles too," Ron added.  
She beamed at them.

The oven timer beeped, causing the Weasley's to jump.  
"That's dinner!" announced Mr. Granger, heading towards the kitchen. "Etta come set the table please."  
"Oh, ok." Etta replied, looking slightly disappointed. She turned to their guests and announced "Dad makes the _best _cabbage rolls." before skipping after her father.  
Mr. Weasley, curious about the oven timer, followed them into the kitchen and Mrs. Granger and Mrs. Weasley accompanied him.  
"It's scary how much she looks like you." Ron said to Hermione once they had left. "But then she starts bouncing up and down and suddenly she doesn't."  
"She doesn't mind that you're a witch and she isn't?" Harry asked, thinking of his aunt.  
Hermione shrugged. "I don't think so. Last time I asked she wanted to be a storm chaser. Mum and Dad are really hoping she grows out of that."  
She and Harry laughed but Ron looked confused.

Harry cut another slice of his cabbage roll (which was actually very tasty) and listened to the Grangers discuss Diagon Alley with the Weasleys. It was a novel experience, he reflected, to be in the house of a muggle family who didn't despise magic.  
He wondered if his mother's house had been like this. Had his grandparent's faces filled with pride as they spoke of their daughters, accomplishments at Hogwarts the way Mr. and Mrs. Granger did as the spoke of Hermione's? Had his aunt Petunia ever explained to a wizard how a telephone worked as Etta was attempting to do for Mr. Weasley (with limited success as she seemed not to really understand the mechanism either)? He doubted the second one very much. From the little he had heard about his aunt's childhood he suspected her dislike of the magical had began early on, before his mother first left for school.

As Ron requested another helping of cabbage rolls, Harry's thoughts drifted back to his grandparents. Aunt Petunia almost never spoke of them; he did not even know their names or how they died. What would his life have been like if they hadn't? Would they have taken Harry in instead of leaving him with his awful Aunt and Uncle? Petunia had once said they'd been happy with Lily being a witch and he was sure they would have accepted him being a wizard.  
Pictures of both Hermione and Etta were scattered around the house, a sharp contrast to the Dursley's house which only contained pictures of Dudley. One by the stove showed Mrs. Granger holding her two daughters and smiling down at them, her face filled with warmth. If his grandparents had been alive, would he have grown up with people who loved him like that? He imagined a childhood filled with hugs, birthday parties, bedtime stories and trips to the zoo.  
Hermione asked him something about Quidditch, breaking him out of his daydream and he returned to the conversation. In the back of his mind he resolved to ask Aunt Petunia about his grandparents. They were 'nice, normal' muggles so she might not avoid his questions the way she did when he asked about his mother.

"Ron, I'm not sure that's a word." Hermione objected as Ron placed his tiles onto the board. He, Harry, Hermione and Etta were sitting on the floor of Hermione's room playing, while their parents talked downstairs.  
"It is," he protested, "Babbitty, as in Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump."  
Hermione and Harry exchanged bewildered looks.  
"You can't use names," Etta informed him, "But I think bitty is a word."  
"No one told me that," he exclaimed, "thanks Etta." he added as Hermione wrote down his points for bitty.  
Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry. Harry shrugged, unsure what a Babbity Rabbity was.

Crookshank's padded over to watch the game, sitting beside Ron. Ron scratched the cat's head absentmindedly as he watched Harry spell out elephant. He'd been on much better terms with Hermione's cat since he found out it had been trying to protect Harry all year.  
It had been a strange, but pleasant evening for him. Pleasant because Hermione's family were kind people (and her father was an amazing cook) and strange because he'd never been inside a muggle house before. Everything from the pictures that didn't move to the oven that beeped to tell you food was ready was foreign and a bit confusing. He wondered, for the first time, what it had been like for Hermione and Harry to enter the wizarding world. How were muggle-borns introduced into that new and unfamiliar place? Was there some sort of program to help them or were they on their own? Harry, he knew, had had Hagrid for guidance but he'd never asked Hermione what the change had been like for her.

"I was wondering," he began as Hermione spelled out the word precariously, putting her even further ahead of everyone else. "is it weird being a muggle-born?"  
"I think it's fairly common," Hermione told him as she took more tiles from the bag.  
"No, I mean," he struggled for a moment to find words for what he wanted to say. "I mean when you first started being a part of the wizarding world was it difficult? Did you have anyone to help you?"  
Hermione looked up at him, seeming to ponder his questions.  
"It was a bit strange at first," she admitted, "and also very exciting. I _was_ worried I wouldn't fit in or that I'd be behind everyone else. But Mum and Dad bought me a lot of books and helped me learn most of what I thought I needed to know." She smiled, "Mostly I think it was wonderful, coming into a world where everything is new and amazing. That actually may be sort of the way your dad feels around muggle things."

Ron hadn't thought of that either. The word muggle had been synonymous with the word mundane for him. Now that he'd met muggles and been inside their house he wasn't sure the connection still stood. There was certainly nothing boring about Hermione's sister who wanted to grow up to chase tornadoes and hurricanes. Her parents were a bit less interesting, however they did know a startling amount about teeth. They'd even given him a pamphlet to bring home. And, of course, Mr. Granger was an amazing cook. He had been sharing recipes with Ron's mother when they'd left them.

"Didn't you have anyone to help you?" he asked. "Isn't there some sort of program?"  
Hermione shook her head, "not really."  
"I had Hagrid for some of it," Harry said, "but other parts were a bit nerve wracking. Like King's Cross station! It was a good thing you and your family came along when you did or I might have missed the train!"  
"That barrier _was_ really tricky!" Etta agreed, "remember, Hermione, how we didn't know how to get through and that awful woman wouldn't believe you were a witch, so she wouldn't tell us." she mimicked a snobbish, high pitched voice, "This girl isn't a witch, muggles don't make witches. Or if they do they can't be _good enough_ for Hogwarts." she rolled her eyes, "what a butt-face! You're like, the best witch in the whole school!"  
Harry and Ron nodded in agreement and Hermione blushed.  
"I could probably find a spell that would actually make her face a butt," Ron offered.  
"I don't even remember what she looked like." she informed them, "It was a long time ago."  
"So how did you get through?" Harry asked.  
"We were very fortunate," she replied, "a muggle family with a third year wizard was passing through and they showed us how."  
"But what if you hadn't been lucky?" Ron worried. What if Harry or Hermione had been left behind simply because there had been no one there to help them? "There are lots of other muggle-borns. How can they all be lucky?"  
"Maybe there are just a lot of nice people," Etta suggested.

Ron pondered a system that relied on the kindness of others to work. He made up his mind that, next time he was at King's Cross and saw a confused looking family, he'd be sure to offer them assistance. He didn't like the thought of people like Hermione and Harry not being able to get to Hogwarts simply because there was no one to show them how.

**Summer, 1985**

"C'mon Sev!" Lily pleaded as she walked down street beside Severus Snape, "My parents have wanted to meet you for _ages._ Your my best friend and they don't even know what you look like!"  
"My Mum doesn't like me visiting...strangers." he protested fruitlessly.  
He knew he was going. He was following Lily to her parents house for dinner, whatever his mother would think. It wasn't because he was particularly looking forward to visiting a boring muggle house, though. He was going because Lily had asked him too and he knew it would make her happy.  
"If by strangers, you mean muggles I don't see what the problem is," Lily said impatiently. "Your dad is a muggle isn't he?"  
"I don't think she likes him all that much anymore," he said bitterly. "I can't really blame her either. Anyhow _I _don't mind visiting muggles," he lied. "I just don't want her yelling at me again."  
Lily's face softened. "Oh Sev, I'm sorry." she apologized, "Sometimes I forget how bad it is with your parents. If you think it'll get you into too much trouble-"  
"No," he interrupted, "It's worth it. You're right, I should meet your family."  
She gave him a warm hug and he felt his insides squirm. "Thank you," she said softly.  
He hugged her back tightly. It really was worth it, whatever his mother or his Slytherin friends would say if they ever found out.

They were greeted by Lily's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Evans.  
"It's so lovely to finally meet you!" Mrs. Evans said, shaking Severus's hand.  
"Come in!" Mr. Evans invited, "We're suppose to invite you right? Or you can't enter?"  
"Dad that's vampires," Lily giggled.  
Severus bit back a sarcastic remark.

"What is _he _doing here?" demanded Petunia, entering from the kitchen. "He doesn't even like normal people. Did you make him come Lily?"  
"Petunia, be nice to our guest." Mr. Evans warned.  
Severus glared at her. Of all the muggles he'd met Petunia was one of his least favourite, second only to his father. She could always see right through him and he resented her for it. She'd also made Lily cry on more than one occasion and for that he absolutely despised her. He suspected the feeling was mutual.  
"I think I'll ask Cheryl if I can go to her house for supper," Petunia let her parents know.  
"No you will not." her mother hissed.  
"Why don't you come see the living room," Mr. Evans offered, shepherding Lily and Severus away from his wife and daughter who were now yelling at each other.

"I am very sorry for my daughter's behaviour Severus," he said as they sat down. Mr. Evans. "You are very welcome at our house, whatever she says."  
"Thank you Mr. Evans," he said trying to sound as polite as he could.  
He hadn't really expected a warm welcome from their older daughter.  
"I'll get some tea," Mr. Evans said, "do you like cream and sugar?"  
"Yes please," he replied.

"Sev..." Lily began after Mr. Evans had left, "I'm really sorry, I didn't think she'd... be like that."  
He saw her eyes brighten with tears.  
"Don't apologize," he said as he took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's not your fault. She'll come around."  
Lily wiped her eyes. "I'm not sure she will," she said sadly.  
"Your dad seems nice," he said in an attempt to distract her, "does he think I'm a vampire?" He grinned at her, "What exactly have you been saying about me?"  
She smiled, her eyes filling with that fiery light he love so much. "Oh, just that you enjoy O negative. Dad got some special for dinner."  
They were both laughing when Lily's father returned with tea.

Petunia was present for supper that evening, though she did not appear at all content. She said nothing the entire time and the moment she was finished, she excused herself and went up to her room. Lily watched her go, looking hurt.

Severus excused himself, saying he needed to use the washroom and followed Petunia upstairs. He caught up to her right before she entered her room.  
"Could you stop it?" he demanded.  
Petunia crossed her arms and leaned on her doorframe, her eyes slits.  
"Stop what exactly," she snapped. "And don't think you can tell me what to do just because you think I'm not as good as you are."  
"Stop being so cruel to Lily," he said. "You're really hurting her you know."  
Petunia looked guilty for a moment but her scowl quickly returned.  
"You don't understand," she said resentfully, "I bet your parents think you're a perfect little magic child, the way my parents think Lily is. Mum and Dad are just like you; they think having magic makes you better than everyone else."  
"You think my parents _like _me?" Severus exclaimed. "My father thinks I'm a waste of space. I think it's about the only thing he and my mother can agree on."  
Petunia was caught off guard, "Why would- but...You're a wizard."  
"As if that matters to my father," he sighed. "Your parents are far kinder than mine."  
She rolled her eyes, "To _Lily_. They usually ignore me. Unless they're yelling at me. I'm not special like she is."

Severus felt an unpleasant twinge of sympathy. Could what she was saying be true? Why would muggles be prejudice against muggles?  
"Maybe if you were less of a brat," he countered, "they'd like you more."  
"You don't think I've tried?" she, shook her head. "I try to tell them about school, or my friends or what I want to do with my life and it's always 'oh, but Lily wants to do this or look how good Lily is doing at school.' They don't see me. They don't care."  
"Lily cares." he said quietly.  
She sniffed. "Of course she does. 'Poor Petunia, she can't go to Hogwarts because she's too ordinary.' I don't need her sympathy. Lily is a stupid little weirdo. And so are you. Stop wasting my time."  
She slammed the door in his face, leaving him seething.

_How dare _she say such things about Lily. Lily, who was so kind and brave and ten times the person her sister could ever hope to be.  
He returned to the table, trying to the fury that bubbled inside him.

"You ok Sev?" Lily asked, seeing his expression.  
"Oh, yes." he said, "Just feeling a bit off."  
"Are you enjoying supper?" Mrs. Evans asked in a concerned voice.  
"Its excellent," he said truthfully. He really loved spaghetti. "I had a funny sandwich at lunch, that's all."  
Lily raised an eyebrow while her parents weren't looking.  
"I'll tell you later," he whispered very quietly. But he wasn't sure if he would tell her everything. His conversation with Petunia had left him feeling uneasy. She was certainly being very unfair to Lily but he wondered if she was right about her parents. Lily's accomplishments, essays and awards, filled the house while nothing but a few pictures on the walls spoke of Petunia's presence. Lily had said Petunia had won first place in the regional spelling bee last year. Wasn't there an award for that? If so where was it? He didn't know the Evans very well and he conceded it was entirely possible they preferred one daughter over the other. It wasn't unreasonable to think that Petunia was as ignored by her parents he was. They might have more in common than he'd believed all these years.

Even so, he couldn't manage to feel sorry for her. Whatever her parents were like Lily had always been kind to her sister. She didn't deserve the way Petunia treated her. For Lily's sake he hoped she'd realize this before it was too late.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this, or any other of the stories I have posted. It is greatly appreciated. You guys rock. :).  
**  
Fun Background: **Every time I read the title of this story, the song _Friends for Dinner _from the Land Before Time starts playing in my head

Originally it was going to be James who came over for dinner at Lily's. However it doesn't appear that they liked each other that much until later on so I had Severus come over instead. I am actually glad I did now too because I like the similarities between him and Petunia.

I think the Weasley's and the Grangers would be friends.  
Firstly because if I had a daughter who I found out was a witch and had to go to this magical school in this world I knew nothing about, I'd want to hang out with the people who knew what was going on.  
Secondly, Mr. Weasley really likes muggles (he's kind of adorable) and it would be neat if the Grangers could show him how some muggle things worked.  
Thirdly, They're both awesome.


	5. Platform 9 34

**Platform 9 3/4 **

**Summer, 1995  
**Etta's bright red remote control car whirred alongside her as she walked up and down the train tracks of the Hogwarts express. It had been great fun boarding the platform. This had been her sixth time walking through the barrier but it still amazed her. She and her parents had actually walked through a wall! They had walked through a wall at Kings Cross Station and no one had even noticed! She'd wanted to get out and try it again but her mother had told her to stay with them.  
They had been one of the first families to arrive and await the returning Hogwarts students. Over the next ten to fifteen minutes more had come through, muggle and wizard alike, filling up the platform. She hoped the train would get there soon. She wanted to show Hermione the car she had gotten for her birthday.  
"Etta you be sure not to drive that car in front of the train!" her mother called from a bench she was sitting on beside her father.  
"Of course I won't!" she called back. But the thought had startled her and she steered her car a bit further away from the tracks.  
She saw two wizards with bright orange hair emerge from what she had dubbed the secret entrance and recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasely.  
Making her car follow her, she trotted over to see them. Mr. Weasley was shaking hands with and saying hello's to her parents when she arrived at the bench which they had all settled down at together. They seemed already deep in conversation and Etta thought there was something off about the way they were talking. They spoke in hushed whispers that stopped when they noticed her approach. She wondered if it had to do with letter she'd received from her Hermione a fortnight ago. It had read:

_ Dear Hen, _(which was Etta's secret name)

_The man whose name we don't say is back. Harry saw him yesterday. I will explain more when I see you. I have written to tell Mum and Dad, though I suspect they will not talk to you about it. They will not want you to worry. However I strongly believe you need to know. There is no reason to be alarmed, I am sure you are all safe, but please be careful none-the-less._

_Enclosed is a box of Bertie-botts-every flavour beans and the story you sent me. I very much enjoyed it but there are a few mistakes here and there I have circled._

_See you very soon_

_Love  
Hermes _(Which was Hermione's secret name)_  
_  
The beans had been a good batch (no bogey flavoured ones this time!) but Etta found it hard not to be at least a bit alarmed. She'd heard enough about that awful wizard to know this was very bad news.

Mr. Weasley's frown snapped into a smile as she stopped next to them.  
"Oh hello Etta," he greeted cheerfully.  
"Did Hermione make that for you?" Mrs. Weasely asked in surprise, spotting Etta's car as it zoomed along.  
"It's not magic." Etta told her quickly. She knew there were endless rules about magic and muggles and didn't want Hermione to be in trouble (though she couldn't remember if enchanting a toy car would be breaking one or not). "Its remote controlled. This remote" she held up her remote, "controls the car with radio waves. It's all very muggley." She added to ensure she was being understood. "The mugliest actually."  
"Oh, well that's nice dear," Mrs. Weasely said kindly but Etta could tell she wasn't especially interested. Her mind must have been on that terrible man no one wanted to say the name of.  
On the contrary, Mr. Weasely's face had lit up.  
"How fascinating!" he exclaimed.  
Etta grinned. She was fond of all of the Weaselys but Mr. Weasely was the most fun. She could show him something as simple as a watch and he would be engrossed with fascination, wondering how it worked. Which in turn made her wonder how it worked. She had learned a lot about electricity and mechanics in her attempts to answer Mr. Weasely's questions. Last summer she had brought him a book about how aeroplanes worked but neither of them had really understood it.  
"May I try it?" he asked, pointing to the remote in her hands.  
"Sure," she said, handing it to me.  
"I think that's for children Arthur," Mrs. Weasely sighed, but her eyes were filled with affection.  
Mr. Weasely didn't seem to care if the car was a kid's toy or not. Etta explained the controls to him and they had fun making the it zoom around the station while her parents chatted quietly with Mrs. Weasely.

After several minutes the train arrived at the station and Etta left Mr. Weasely, who was still playing with her car while she scurried towards it to greet her sister. As she approached the train she scanned the windows for a sign of Hermione or her friends. However there were so many people that it was hard to see and she became distracted by a group of girls on the train who were making orgami birds hover around the corridor. Not looking where she was going, she collided with a student who was making his way onto the platform, knocking him over and making her stumble several steps backwards.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, holding out her hand to help him up.  
The boy, whose hair was pale blonde, stood without taking it. He glared at her and she saw his eyes widen in recognition.  
"You wouldn't happen to know a Hermione Granger?" he asked and something in the way he said the name left a sour taste in Etta's mouth.  
"I'm her sister," she replied trying to be polite but feeling her face settle into a frown.  
The boy sneered. "I thought so. Are you a mudblood too? Or are you just a muggle?"  
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Etta looked back at her parents but they were still talking to Mr. and Mrs. Weasely. They seemed very intent on their conversation.  
Turning back to the boy she asked "Am I a what?"

"Etta!" Hermione called, dashing up to them from a car further down the platform and stepping between her and the boy.  
She glared at the boy so fiercely Etta was surprised he didn't take a step away from her.  
"What are you doing?" she demanded.  
The boy scowled at her. "I wasn't doing anything. That stupid little muggle sister of yours ran into me. This is the second time today I've been attacked by filthy blooded scum."  
"It was an accident!" Etta protested, "I said I was sorry!" She didn't really feel all that sorry anymore though.  
"You just stay away from my family," Hermione warned him, her voice hot with anger as she wiped out her wand.  
The boy laughed, "Believe me I have no desire to go near _your _family." He cast a nasty look at Etta who mimicked her sister and glared up at him. "Low-life's like them are beneath me." He grinned cruelly then added, "I'd watch out for them if I were you though. With recent events... well you've always been a unbearable know-it-all so maybe you can tell Mum, Dad and the little one here about how things were for muggles last time."  
Hermione looked very much like she wanted to hit him. Sparks flew from the end of her wand.  
"Don't you _dare_ try anything Malfoy." she hissed.  
The boy held up his hands defensively, "Like I said I'd rather avoid _those_ people. They're beneath me." He swaggered away calling back over his shoulder, "I can't believe they're even allowed at the station."  
Hermione shouted something very rude after him but he kept walking. Etta hadn't understood all of what was said but she had managed to work out enough to know that the boy didn't think very highly of muggles or people with muggle families. And that he thought something bad was going to happen to them.  
"Was that Malfoy you were yelling at?" she heard Hermione's friend Ron ask as he walked towards them. "How'd he get here?"  
Etta waved to Ron and looked around for Harry but didn't see him.

Ignoring Ron, Hermione took Etta by the arm and began pulling her towards their parents. Ron followed, looking offended.  
Harry emerged from the train along with Ron's brother's Fred and George who seemed very pleased about something. He ran over to join them but stopped short when he spotted Hermione.  
"What's happening?" he asked but Hermione ignored him as well.  
"Malfoy said something to her." Ron replied grumpily, "not sure what though."  
"I think he was making fun of us." Etta told them, annoyed that Hermione wasn't explaining anything.  
"You mean Malfoy? Ya, he's a git." Harry informed her. "Not sure how he got off the train so fast. We jinxed him pretty good back there."  
Ron grabbed Hermione's shoulder, "What did he say?"  
She looked from him to Harry, her eyes blazing but beginning to calm.  
"He reminded me that things are going to change," she said glancing significantly at Etta and then their parents, who were continuing their conversation with the Weasely's and looking increasingly concerned, "And not in our favour."  
Harry and Ron seemed to understand and their faces clouded with worry.

"Hermione?" Etta asked uneasily, "What's changing?"  
Her sister bent down so they were eye to eye and placed her hands on her shoulders.  
"Etta listen to me," she said quietly. "you need to understand that not all wizards and witches are good like us. And most of the bad ones don't like muggles at all."  
"Like Malfoy?" she said. "I know that."  
Hermione shook her head. "No. Not like Malfoy. They are far more dangerous."  
"You mean the man who you don't say the name of don't you? Do you think he would hurt us?" she squeaked, feeling a chill despite the heat.  
"Hermione she's just a kid-" Ron began.  
"She needs to understand this!" she snapped, "Do you think death eaters care that she's only eleven?"  
Ron fell silent. He and Harry looked very serious.  
Startled, Etta felt her eyes grow hot and she blinked back tears. Hermione's face softened.  
"It's alright," she said, pulling her into a hug, "Don't cry. Everyone is going to be fine. I just need you to promise me that you'll stay away from any strange witches or wizards for a bit. Don't go near them if you don't know them."  
"I promise." Etta said, hugging her back tightly. She was still a little frightened but she knew Hermione would protect them. She was the best witch at Hogwarts. She'd fought trolls and giant snakes and dementors and traveled through time to save a hippogriff and Harry's godfather. There wasn't anything she couldn't do.  
"Good girl," Hermione said kissing her on top of the head.  
"I wasn't going to cry." Etta added, feeling slightly embarrassed.  
"I didn't think you were," Harry said. He looked at Ron. "Did you?"  
Ron shook his head, "No, I think you're seeing things Hermione."  
Hermione chuckled "I guess I must be."  
Etta smiled gratefully at them.

**Summer 1987  
**The wheels of Lily's trunk clicked behind her as she walked beside James, Remus, Sirius and Peter onto the platform.  
"I can't believe we've done it!" she exclaimed happily, "we're finished!"  
"_You're _finished," James contradicted her only half seriously, "I'm not celebrating until I get my grades back!"  
"Of course you passed," Lily giggled nudging him affectionately with her shoulder.  
He grinned gratefully at her.

"Anyhow we're celebrating with or without you James," Sirius joked. "If only because I never have to see another fire crab for the rest of my life."  
They laughed together, glad to be graduated and to have each other. Lily was eager to see her parents as well; she'd missed them while she was away at school. They'd told her in their last letter that they were going to take her out for dinner that night to celebrate her graduation. She was very much looking forward to her father's bad jokes about potions and charms and to discussing with her mother the book they'd both agreed to read that spring.  
She scanned the crowd of welcoming families but couldn't spot them. Frowning, she stood on her tiptoes to look over people's heads. Her parents had never been late before. She froze as her gaze rested, not on her mother or her father, but on her sister Petunia. Something in Petunia's expression filled Lily with cold dread that settled in her stomach like a stone. She didn't look angry as she had last time they'd seen each other that Christmas at the restaurant, but she certainly did not look happy either.

Petunia's face was filled with despair and her eyes shone with tears as she crossed the crowded platform and pulled Lily into the first hug she'd given her in six years.  
Lily felt her own eyes grow hot and she pulled away a little so she could see her sister's face.  
"Where are Mum and Dad?" she demanded.  
Petunia opened her mouth but no words came out. She shook her head slowly.  
Lily felt the world spin around her and she gripped Petunia's arms for support. She heard James beside her but she couldn't understand what he was saying. Remus said something else she didn't understand and after that no one else spoke.  
"How," she asked after what felt like a very long time.  
"Car crash," Petunia answered. Her voice was hoarse and quiet.  
"And they're both..." Lily couldn't finish the sentence.  
Petunia nodded, "yes." Her voice broke as she said it and fresh tears filled her reddened eyes.  
It was as if a dam had broken inside of her. Lily felt tears stream down her face and her whole body shook as she sobbed. Petunia pulled her back into her arms and sobbed with her as they held each other.  
People stopped to stare, muttering concernedly to each other but neither of them noticed nor cared.

The funeral was the worst day of Petunia's life. She was expected to make a speech about her parents and how much she was going to miss them. She'd even written one down but when she'd stood there in front of everyone she found she couldn't remember it. She kept thinking how she hadn't spoken to them in over a month and the last time she'd seen them had ended in a fight. Every time she saw them ended in a fight.  
Then Lily came and stood beside her. She began telling a story, a story Petunia had long forgotten, about a happy time many years ago. She described a journey their family had taken together to visit the ocean where they had built a castle in the wet sand and made crowns from the seaweed that washed onto the shore. Their parents had been the king and queen and Lily and Petunia had been the princesses. Together they had ruled over the crabs and the fish and roaring ocean waves. It was one of the last times Petunia remembered feeling a sense of belonging in her family. A short year after that magic had changed her world forever.

Petunia sat with Lily in the graveyard. Her sister arranged the flowers they'd brought around their parents tombstones so that each was hemmed with bright, sad colours. It had been three days since the funeral and Lily had suggested they visit, just the two of them. Petunia didn't really want to be there but she'd come for Lily's sake.  
"They really loved you," she told Lily as she finished with the flowers. "They were so proud of you." There was no bitterness in her voice; her words were meant in kindness.  
"They loved you too," Lily said softly.  
Petunia smiled sadly. She knew Lily was right, her parents had loved her. But not like Lily. They'd loved her because they were her parents and they had too. They had loved Lily because they thought she was smart , wonderful and brave. Her old resentment of her sister flared up for a moment but she was too miserable and tired to nurture it and it quickly died out. She didn't want to fight today.  
"I know they did," she whispered.  
She couldn't bring herself to admit to Lily that their love wasn't enough. She couldn't say out loud how much it hurt that their parents had never thought that she was brave or smart or wonderful. And how now they never would.  
**  
**  
**Fun Background  
**Etta's Birth date is June 23, 1984. This makes her 4 years, 9 months and 4 days younger than Hermione.

Etta's secret name Hen is just the first three letters of her full name. Also she likes hens (as in female chickens) and the story _Little Red Hen_.  
Hermione's secret name is Hermes because the name Hermione is derived from the name Hermes. Also I (and I am assuming Hermione would) think it was a good secret letter name because Hermes is (among other things) the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology.

A lot of my inspiration for Petunia's story line comes from the quote_: "Mother is God in the eyes of a child."  
_Which is a quote from Silent Hill which I think is based on the quote: _"Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." _from the novel Vanity Fair.  
To be honest I am not entirely sure what the original meaning of the quote is but I have always translated it as a warning to parents.  
For me it means that it matters to children what their parents think of them. If someone's mother tells them they are not as good as their siblings, they may begin to believe it.  
I feel like this is partly what happened to Petunia. The favouritism she perceived that her parents showed towards Lily (whether it was real or not) had a profound effect on both girls. Petunia was jealous of her sister because she truly believed that she was not as good as her and Lily and Petunia lost the close bond they originally shared because of that jealousy.


End file.
